A  HOUSE 

OF  BRICK 

FOR  TEN  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  .  „  .  . 


A  House  of  Brick 

FOR  TEN  THOUSAND  DOLLARS 


A  plea  for  the  greater  use  of  brick 
in  our  domestic  architecture;  for 
a  material  which  combines  beauty, 
durability,  and  economy;  a  material 
which  seems  to  bespeak  the  house 
enduring  —  the  home  beautiful. 


PRICE,  FIFTY  CENTS 


Published  for 

The  Building  Brick  Association  of  America 


BY  ROGERS  AND  MANSON  COMPANY 
BOSTON 


Copyright,  1910 

BY 

The  Building  Brick  Association  of  America 


Fourth  Edition 


A  House  of  Brick 


FOREWORD 

ANEW  era  in  American  home  building  is  at  hand  —  in  fact  we 
have  already  entered  upon  it.  It  is  an  era  in  which  the  talents 
of  the  architect  will  play  a  part  as  perhaps  never  before  in  the 
history  of  our  country  —  and  this  is  as  it  should  be. 

By  reason  of  his  training,  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  best  which 
has  been  done  —  his  ability  to  wisely  counsel  the  home  builder  in  the 
arrangement  of  plan,  the  installation  of  equipment,  the  selection  of 
materials  —  and  to  clothe  all  with  a  design  which  shall  be  at  once 
expressive  of  its  purpose,  fitting  to  its  environment,  wholesome  in 
its  art,  and  possessing  a  charm  which  will  increase  with  age  —  the 
work  of  the  architect  becomes  coefficient  with  the  true  development 
of  a  rational,  refined,  and  lasting  home  architecture. 

It  is  perhaps  fortunate  that  many  of  the  houses  which  have  come 
into  existence  during  the  last  half  dozen  decades  were  built  of  perish¬ 
able  wood,  for  they  bear  the  tell-tale  stain  of  the  lowest  ebb  of  the 
art  of  home  building  in  this  country. 

This  architectural  indigestion  is  not  our  only  legacy,  however,  for 
we  may  well  pride  ourselves  on  and  draw  an  inspiration  from  the 
houses  which  were  built  at  a  time  when  a  new  nation  was  being  built, 
and  which  are  found  scattered  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard  from 
Portsmouth  to  Atlanta.  In  their  simple  dignity  they  are  expressive  of 
that  wholesome  refinement  which  one  likes  to  associate  with  the  word 
home.  That  they  are  preserved  to  us  to-day  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
they  were  built  of  brick  —  and  this  brings  us  to  the  point  of  our  story. 

Why  not  a  house  of  brick?  Since  one  likes  to  feel  himself  sub¬ 
stantially  sheltered;  to  know  that  his  investment  is  secure  from 
decay ;  to  sense  that  here  within  its  imperishable  walls  the  traditions 
of  one  generation  will  be  preserved  as  a  priceless  heritage  for  another 
—  why  not  a  house  of  brick? 

Measured  by  all  the  standards  brick  does  not  fail  to  appeal,  to  in¬ 
terest,  to  hold.  As  a  building  material  it  is  amply  rich  in  precedent, 
economical  in  initial  cost  and  maintenance,  and  readily  lends  itself  to 
the  skill  of  the  architect  who  would  weave  in  lasting  form  his  concep¬ 
tions  of  a  noble  art  into  a  close  communion  with  nature.  But  the 
story  of  brick  is  better  told  elsewhere  in  these  pages  and  it  is  the  pur- 


3 


pose  of  this  chapter  merely  to  explain  the  reasons  why  this  book  was 
published,  if  they  are  not  already  manifest. 

The  Building  Brick  Association  of  America  —  composed  of  men  who 
are  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  burnt  clay  —  offered  $1,000  in 
cash  prizes  for  designs  submitted  in  competition  for  a  brick  house  to 
cost  approximately  $10,000.  The  amount  of  the  prize  money  was 
divided  as  follows:  First  prize,  $500;  second  prize,  $250;  third  prize, 
$150;  fourth  prize,  $100. 

A  house  to  cost  $10,000  was  decided  upon  as  a  subject  for  the  com¬ 
petition  because  it  seemed  to  represent  a  type  between  extremes  — 
the  small  house  and  the  mansion.  That  the  material  —  brick  —  is 
desirable  for  small  houses,  or  large,  is  obvious.  Again,  the  subject 
for  competition  in  order  to  be  of  interest  to  the  better  class  of  archi¬ 
tectural  draftsmen  needed  to  be  one  which  offered  a  fair  opportunity 
for  an  expression  of  their  art  —  otherwise  they  would  have  no  interest 
in  the  problem,  considered  from  the  competitive  standpoint. 

The  competition  was  held  through  The  Brickbuilder  (an  archi¬ 
tectural  journal),  with  the  result  that  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  sets 
of  drawings  were  submitted.  The  authors  of  many  of  the  drawings 
are  men  of  recognized  ability  in  the  architectural  profession. 

The  value  of  the  whole  work  was  further  enhanced  by  the  profes¬ 
sional  standing  of  the  men  who  gave  of  their  time  and  talents  to  judge 
the  competition,  they  being  among  the  recognized  leaders  in  the 
practice  of  architecture. 

In  awarding  the  prizes  the  jury,  after  careful  study,  agreed  that 
the  first  ten  designs  shown  in  this  book  could  be  built  within  the 
limit  set  —  $10,000.  The  jury  did  not,  however,  pass  upon  the  cost 
of  the  other  designs  shown.  Many  of  the  designs  would  undoubtedly 
cost  more  to  execute  than  the  amount  specified,  while  others  could  be 
built  for  considerably  less.  The  cost  to  build  would  naturally  vary 
with  different  localities,  where  prices  of  materials  and  labor  differ. 

The  whole  purpose  of  this  work,  therefore,  is  not  to  present  an 
argument  in  favor  of  a  house  of  a  given  size,  style,  or  cost.  The 
designs  themselves  furnish  a  variety  of  suggestions  for  the  large 
house  and  the  small  house.  Above  all  it  is  hoped  they  will  be  re¬ 
ceived  as  emissaries  of  a  noble  craft,  each  telling  its  own  story  of 
A  House  of  Brick. 


4 


Brick — The  Ideal  Building  Material 

ARCHITECTURE  has  been  defined  as  "The  art  which  seeks 
to  harmonize  in  a  building  the  requirements  of  utility  and  of 
beauty.” 

Accepting  this  definition  as  a  truism,  the  maker  of  bricks  will 
challenge  every  other  building  material  to  a  comparison  of  merits  as 
measured  by  this  standard. 

Brick  —  Its  Utility 

Brick,  because  of  its  size  and  ease  of  handling,  is  adapted  to  every 
form  of  construction  —  large  and  small. 

Brick  is  imperishable.  The  earliest  records  of  man  are  found 
inscribed  on  tablets  of  burnt  clay,  while  everything  about  them,  even 
the  rocks  of  the  "everlasting  hills,”  has  crumbled  to  dust. 

Brick  is  fireproof,  or  as  nearly  so  as  a  building  material  can  be.  In 
its  manufacture  it  is  submitted  for  several  days  to  a  white  heat  and 
therefore  cannot  be  injured  in  any  ordinary  conflagration. 

Brick  —  well  made  brick  —  never  has  to  be  painted  and  never 
requires  repairing. 

Brick,  possessing  in  the  highest  degree  all  these  essential  require¬ 
ments  of  utility,  is  nevertheless  one  of  the  lowest  cost  building 
materials  in  existence. 

Brick  —  Its  Beauty 

Brick  occupies  a  unique  position  among  the  materials  available  for 
the  creation  of  beautiful  buildings,  and  this  is  especially  true  of  the 
house.  An  analysis  discloses  the  following  interesting  points: 

Brick  is  made  in  small  units  —  one  hundred  thousand  of  them  show 
in  the  exterior  walls  of  many  modern  buildings.  This,  together  with 
the  varying  sizes  which  can  be  obtained,  makes  possible  an  almost 
infinite  variety  of  form  and  pattern  —  thus  giving  full  scope  to  the 
thought,  ingenuity,  and  skill  of  the  designer  and  the  workman. 


5 


Brick  is  made  in  almost  every  conceivable  color  and  shade,  the 
permanence  of  which  is  unequaled  by  any  other  structural  material. 
With  the  skilful  use  of  these  colors  the  builder  adds  to  his  design 
that  living  touch  which  the  painter  gives  to  his  canvas. 

Brick  is  also  unique  in  the  fact  that  it  requires  for  its  structural  use 
a  very  considerable  amount  of  material  of  another  kind  and  color  — 
the  mortar  joint.  The  mistaken  idea  has  often  prevailed  that  the 
mortar  joint  was  a  blemish  and  must  be  suppressed  as  much  as  pos¬ 
sible  or  be  colored  to  match  the  brick.  The  clever  designer  of  to-day, 
however,  seizes  the  opportunity  afforded  by  the  mortar  joint  to  intro¬ 
duce  into  his  wall  another  element  of  color  and  pattern. 

"Texture”  as  applied  to  brickwork  is  as  old  as  the  brick  wall 
itself.  The  very  nature  of  the  process  of  building  a  brick  wall  —  the 
bonding  together  of  a  lot  of  small  units  —  gives  texture.  Like  the 
weaver  at  the  loom,  the  brick-builder  with  his  units  of  many  colors 
and  sizes  weaves  a  fabric  in  burnt  clay  for  the  protection  of  mankind. 

"Pattern  work”  is  frequently  used  in  brick  walls  to  obtain  certain 
architectural  effects.  Many  of  the  best  examples  of  brick  architec¬ 
ture  in  England,  Holland,  and  Belgium  are  noted  for  their  pattern 
work,  as  are  some  of  the  best  examples  of  brick  buildings  in 
America. 

Desired  effects  may  be  obtained  in  texture  and  pattern  work  with 
every  kind  of  brick  made,  regardless  of  shape,  size,  or  color. 

That  brick  —  the  material  beautiful,  durable,  and  economical  —  is 
coming  into  its  own  in  this  country  of  ours  is  manifested  on  every 
hand. 

That  the  architect  is  leading  the  way  in  this  movement  is  shown 
by  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  beautiful  houses  of  brick  — 
beautiful  because  of  their  texture  or  pattern  work,  their  rugged 
honesty  or  sweet  reasonableness. 

The  ultimate  test  of  everything  in  this  world  is  "Time.”  After 
centuries  of  competition  from  every  other  kind  of  building  material 
that  man  has  been  able  to  discover  or  invent,  brick  stands  to-day 
triumphant  —  the  most  useful,  the  most  permanent,  the  most  eco¬ 
nomical,  the  most  beautiful. 


6 


AWARDED  FIRST  PRIZE 
DESIGN  BY  ROBERT  A  TAYLOR 
538  Elm  Street,  Camden,  N.  J. 


AWARDED  FIRST  PRIZE 

DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  ROBERT  A.  TAYLOR 

538  Elm  Street,  Camden,  N.  J. 


8 


The,  BRJCKBVILDER. 

Competition  for  a,  Brick.  H oiife, 
to  be  built  at  Qu  co/’t  not  exceeding 
ten  tboo/and  dollar/ 

Submitted  byXYD’ 

Sept  15  lpoy 


AWARDED  SECOND  PRIZE 
DESIGN  BY  WILLIAM  D.  AUSTIN 
50  Bromfield  Street,  Boston,  Mass, 


9 


10 


AWARDED  THIRD  PRIZE 

DESIGN  BY  CHARLES  C.  CLARK 

480  Columbus  Avenue,  Boston,  Mass, 


11 


AWARDED  FOURTH  PRIZE 
DESIGN  BY  HAROLD  J.  GRAVENOR 


m 


12 


AWARDED  FIRST  MENTION 

DESIGN  AND  DETAILS  BY  E.  DONALD  ROBB 

170  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


13 


AWARDED  SECOND  MENTION 
DESIGN  BY  DERBY  AND  ROBINSON 
20  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


Competition  fop  the  Brick  Hou.se 


AWARDED  SECOND  MENTION 

DETAILS.  DESIGN  SUBMITTED  BY  DERBY  AND  ROBINSON 
20  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


14 


‘BMCKBUfllDER  COMPETITION  FOR  A  BUCK  HCM 


AWARDED  THIRD  MENTION 

DESIGN  BY  EUGENE  WARD 

ii  East  24th  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


15 


AWARDED  FOURTH  MENTION 

DESIGN  BY  D.  E.  ROBB 

109  Valentine  Street,  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y. 


16 


’  HI  O  Vi  A7STT-i)0  bbA-fVr-HWT 


Jt«/e  ■■ 

-  -4— ~rzn - 

^t>-~E  T  AT 


AWARDED  FOURTH  MENTION 

DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  D.  E.  ROBB 

109  Valentine  Street,  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y, 


17 


18 


AWARDED  FIFTH  MENTION 
DESIGN  BY  J.  THEODORE  HANEMANN 
103  Park  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


19 


AWARDED  FIFTH  MENTION 

DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  J.  THEODORE  HANEMANN 

103  Park  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


20 


AWARDED  SIXTH  MENTION 

DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  EDGAR  STANLEY 

1270  West  105th  Street,  Cleveland,  Ohio 


DESIGN  BY  GEORGE  R.  KLINKHARDT 

360  Sixth  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


21 


BWCKBUILDER'  COMPETITION 


jmfflEnmrrEr  ma 


JiLAN  ui-'  h'.N'i  La  Nc:r.. 


pa  u  'i*  nr  rn'^rn 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  GEORGE  R.  KL1NKHARDT 
360  Sixth  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


22 


23 


DESIGN  BY  DE  MARI  AND  TRAVER 
2423  Larkin  Street,  San  Francisco*  Cal. 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  DE  MARI  AND  TRAVER 
2423  Larkin  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


24 


25 


DESIGN  BY  HARRY  F.  ROBINSON 
418  South  Boulevard,  Oak  Park,  Ill. 


26 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  HARRY  F.  ROBINSON 
418  South  Boulevard,  Oak  Park,  Ill. 


27 


BE1GKBUILDEC  COAPCTITION 


a  u 


28 


“.50UABC  A5  A  BEIGK”  _ BT21GK  BUILDER  COMPETITION 


29 


30 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  SIMONS  AND  KENNEDY 
402  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,N.  Y. 


31 


DESIGN  BY  WILLIAM  G.  HOLFORD 
302  Washington  Avenue,  Brooklyn 


-BRICKBUILDER.  -COMPETITION.*— 


32 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  WILLIAM  G.  HOLFORD 
302  Washington  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


33 


DESIGN  BY  J.  MARTIN  BROWN 

log  West  54th  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y . 


DETAILS.  DESIGN  BY  J.  MARTIN  BROWN 

109  West  54th  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y.  „  . 

34 


DEICKftV'JLDH?.  ( )MPETfTTf  )N 


35 


DESIGN  BY  E5VERLY  W.  SPILLMAN 
425  Cooper  Street,  San  Antonio,  Texas 


36 


DESIGN  BY  P.  C.  DUNHAM 

300  Cumberland  Street,  Brooklyn,  N. 


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38 


DESIGN  BY  CHALMERS  S.  CLAPP 

169  Boston  Street,  Dorchester,  Boston,  Mass, 


39 


DESIGN  BY  ALBERT  G.  HOPKINS 
15  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


DESIGN  BY  STARK  AND  RITCHIE 
1128  Tremont  Building,  Boston,  Mass. 


40 


brick:  hovse  competition 


DESIGN  BY  THOMAS  P.  SAUM 

557  West  124th  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


41 


TiKyr  riooRjLAJT  * 


DESIGN  BY  F.  P.  HAMMOND 

453  West  i52d  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


42 


DESIGN  BY  ANDREW  H.  HEPBURN 
3  Hamilton  Place,  Boston,  Mass. 


43 


44 


45 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  W.  S.  BESSELL 
1170  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


-Tr.ont  -  Elevation- 

■Scale  ifNCH=»6TV. 


B^OECEmDEl^COMPJmTIOM 

TOE.  A 

Dollar  Brick  House. 

SUBMITTED  BY 


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DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  HUGO  H.  ZIMMERMANN 
1231  Addison  Street,  Chicago,  Ill. 


46 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  ALEXANDER  C.  GUTH 

669  Buffum  Street,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


47 


H  h 


48 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  CRAIG  AND  CLARKE 

170  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


49 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  FRANKENBERGER  AND  POSTLER 
908  Andrews  Building,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 


50 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  HARRY  G.  MUEHLMAN 
$8  Lafayette  Boulevard,  Detroit  Mich. 


51 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  NORMAN  B.  BAKER 
1315  Eighty-fifth  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


52 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  WILLIAM  W.  CORDINGLEY 
Chestnut  Hill,  Mass. 


53 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  DAVIS  AND  WITHEY 
418  Security  Building,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


55 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  FRANCIS  D.  BULMAN 
122  Ames  Building,  Boston,  Mass. 


56 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  A.  R.  WIDDOWSON 
124  Carl  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


57 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  PHILLIPS  AND  INGALLS 
103  Park  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


58 


DESIGN  WITH  DETAILS  BY  RAMON  SCHUMACHER 
1703  Francis  Street,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 


The  Worth  of  a  Brick  House 


BY  WILLIAM  D.  AUSTIN 


BRICK  as  a  building  material  for  modest  domestic  architecture,  either 
from  an  erroneous  idea  as  to  its  excessive  cost  or  a  thoughtless  inappre¬ 
ciation  of  its  aesthetic  qualities,  still  lacks  the  vogue  it  should  have  by 
virtue  of  its  merits.  It  is  hoped  these  merits  may  be  made  more  apparent 
after  consideration  of  the  arguments  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  article 
to  advance. 

We  have  pretty  well  outgrown  the  desire  for  and  delight  in  shingle  and 
clapboard  houses,  and  probably  few  would  select  these  materials  if  allowed 
an  unhampered  choice.  A  plastered  wooden  house  is  more  worthy  of  admira¬ 
tion  than  a  shingled  contrivance  —  conveys  more  markedly  the  sense  of 
permanence  and  stability,  and  thereby  acquires  a  dignity  which  the  other 
can  never  achieve.  But  brick  can  be  made  to  express  all  these  emotions  even 
more  pronouncedly  and  to  appeal  —  and  this  is  its  unique  distinction  —  to 
the  interest  and  sympathy  of  mankind.  In  short,  it  is  a  more  vital  and 
human  material  and  as  such  should  be,  pre-eminently,  the  medium  adopted 
by  the  artist-architect  to  aid  him  in  evoking  through  his  finished  product 
certain  spiritual  emotions  in  the  mind  of  the  spectator,  or,  in  other  words,  in 
producing  a  work  of  “fine  art.” 

The  methods  employed  in  any  of  the  branches  of  the  fine  arts  to  attain  the 
same  results  constitute  “technique,”  and  must  be  based  on  the  knowledge  of 
and  adherence  to  fundamental  human  instincts  or  laws.  Proportion,  rhythm, 
contrast,  crescendo,  climax,  accent,  are  some  of  these  universal,  inherent 
(though  often  undeveloped)  instincts  which  must  be  recognized  and  satisfied 
in  order  that  complete  expression  shall  be  achieved,  whether  by  the  poet, 
painter,  musician,  sculptor,  or  artist-architect.  Each  in  his  peculiar  medium, 
which  is  his  language,  strives  to  express  some  spiritual  emotion;  and  archi¬ 
tecture,  as  a  fine  art,  as  distinct  from  its  utilitarian  aspect,  is  only  such  in 
proportion  as  it  reaches  this  result.  Whether  the  attempt  be  successful 
or  not  depends  upon  the  taste,  personality,  and  technical  skill  of  the  author. 
Now  the  artist-architect  has  for  his  medium  certain  building  materials  — 


59 


in  the  combining  of  which  he  seeks  to  express  qualities  such  as  grandeur, 
dignity,  charm,  tenderness,  sparkle,  playfulness,  etc.,  and  his  taste  and  feel¬ 
ing  must  dictate  to  him  which  quality  or  qualities  shall  be  emphasized  in  any 
particular  structure. 

What,  then,  does  he  wish  to  express;  what  should  be  the  psychological 
qualities  stamped  upon  and  proclaimed  by  a  building  for  human  habitation  — 
a  house?  Not  grandeur,  certainly,  but  quiet  dignity,  hospitality,  some  play¬ 
fulness,  but  not  too  much  —  permancence,  stability,  sincerity,  comfort,  peace. 

To  attain  all  this  the  medium  is  the  first  factor  to  be  considered.  What 
will  aid  him  the  most  effectively?  Brick,  undoubtedly,  and  for  this  reason: 

Among  the  inherent  mental  instincts  referred  to  there  is  one  which  may 
be  said,  perhaps,  to  include  them  all,  or  at  any  rate  to  permeate  them  all,  and 
that  is  the  pleasure  derived  from  the  evidence  of  human  action  controlled 
and  inspired  by  thought.  This  is  the  first  essential  and  sine-qua-non  of  any 
work  of  art  as  distinguished  from  natural  beauty.  The  greater  the  evidence 
of  man’s  work  and  thought  the  greater  the  pleasure.  Consider  that  each  and 
every  unit  of  75  cubic  inches  of  burnt  clay  in  a  simple  brick  wall  has  been 
selected,  inspected,  approved,  and  patted  to  rest  in  its  proper  place  by  the 
brain  and  hand  of  a  man.  Is  there  not  evidence  here  of  good,  conscientious, 
interested  thought  behind  the  act?  The  very  smallness  of  .the  unit  but 
enhances  the  human  interest  of  it  all.  Humble  as  the  work  is,  it  allows  of  no 
let-up  in  the  exercise  of  mental  qualities  — it  necessitates  a  constant,  discrim¬ 
inating  thought.  Can  as  much  be  said  for  the  ordinary  laying  of  shingles  or 
the  smearing  on  of  innumerable  square  yards  of  plaster? 

And  this  is  not  all.  The  pleasure  and  satisfaction  caused  by  the  finished 
wall  is  intensified  by  the  realization  that  the  material  itself  —  every  individual 
brick  —  is  the  result  of  man’s  immediate  handiwork.  Think  again  of  the 
shingle  as  it  is  manufactured,  or  of  the  barrels  of  cement  and  casks  of  lime. 
Do  they  arouse  as  much  vital  interest? 

So  the  combination  of  the  brick  as  made,  and  as  laid,  even  in  a  perfectly 
simple  wall,  appeals  more  vividly  than  any  other  building  material  to  the 
human  sympathy  and  appreciation  —  and  somewhere  in  this  connection  the 
word  “tender”  never  seems  inappropriate. 

And  we  have  been  considering  a  simple  brick  wall  in  the  building  of  which 
only  the  minimum  of  thought,  speaking  comparatively,  has  been  required. 
How  much  more  is  necessary  in  contriving  the  multitude  of  unusual  and 


60 


charming  combinations  possible  with  this  material  —  different  bonds,  color 
tones  with  different  makes  of  brick  and  tints  in  the  mortar,  panels,  patterns 
of  infinite  variety,  borders,  inlays  of  tiles,  terra  cottas,  or  marbles. 

The  more  complex  it  is,  the  more  speaking,  human,  vital  it  becomes.  Re¬ 
garding  such  work  objectively  we  find  an  inevitable  texture  acquired  without 
much  conscious  effort.  The  tiny  blocks,  each  surrounded  by  a  border  of  gray 
or  white  or  soft  yellow,  are  bound  to  melt  and  blend  into  a  total  color  scheme, 
which  may  be  a  cool,  misty  pink,  or  a  warm  red,  like  the  effect  of  strong  sun¬ 
light  on  the  wall,  or  both  effects  may  be  in  the  same  wall,  according  as  one 
uses  different  colors  and  proportions  of  joints  to  bricks.  Such  colors  and 
tones  cannot  be  matched  by  any  single  material,  except  perhaps  marbles,  and 
certainly  no  paints  or  stains  can  possibly  rival  them. 

Is  it,  therefore,  any  wonder  that  the  artist-architect,  dreaming  of  the 
spiritual  emotions  he  wishes  to  evoke  in  the  potential  home,  should  begin  by 
selecting  for  his  main  structural  and  aesthetic  purpose  such  a  human,  friendly, 
and  democratic  material  as  brick? 

There  remains  the  practical  question  of  expense.  We  will  imagine  that 
every  one  is  now  feverish  with  desire  to  build  in  brick,  but  is  deterred  by  the 
imagined  cost.  This  is  a  bugbear  that  can  easily  be  dispelled. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  little  brick  house  which  is  illustrated  on  page  9, 
and  of  which  I  was  the  designer.  Here  the  exterior  walls  are  8  inches  thick, 
with  wooden  furring  strips  against  the  inner  surface,  on  which  the  lath  and 
plaster  are  applied.  The  color  contrast  effects  on  the  outside  are  obtained  by 
means  of  plenty  of  white  window  frames,  sashes,  and  trims  brought  out  flush 
with  the  face  of  the  brick.  There  is  no  occasion  for  stone  window  sills,  the 
heavy  wooden  sill  answers  the  purpose  structurally  just  as  well  and  aestheti¬ 
cally  better.  The  cost  of  this  brickwork,  including  the  necessary  furrings  and 
the  somewhat  more  expensive  window  frames  and  finish  required,  would  be 
about  $1,200.  The  exterior  walls,  if  in  frame  with  shingles  or  clapboards, 
would  cost  about  $600  less,  and  if  in  frame  with  metal  lathing  and  cement 
plaster,  about  $500  less.  In  other  words,  if  the  total  cost  of  the  house  in  brick 
is  $10,000,  the  saving  in  wood  would  be  six  per  cent  and  in  cement  plaster 
five  per  cent. 

The  figures  here  given  are  based  on  carefully  made  estimates  which  were 
obtained  from  reliable  contractors,  and,  generally  speaking,  represent  the 
comparative  cost  of  wood,  stucco,  and  brick  walls. 


61 


Need  more  be  said?  Who,  for  such  a  paltry  economy,  could  elect  to  build 
the  cheaper  house  when  it  is  realized  that  the  cost  of  painting  and  repairs  on 
it  alone  every  year  would  more  than  equal  the  interest  on  the  money  thus 
ignobly  saved? 

Let  us  pay  the  tribute  it  deserves  to  that  imperishable  material,  which  for 
ages  in  all  great  civilizations  has  been  recognized  as  the  medium  by  which 
the  builders  most  surely  and  sympathetically  have  given  their  message  to 
mankind. 

We,  of  to-day,  must  not  put  the  stamp  of  decadency  upon  this  twentieth 
century  by  turning  from  this  noble  material  to  others  of  baser  origin. 


62 


The  Relation  of  Brick  to  Fire  Risk, 
Maintenance,  and  Investment 

BY  HENRY  STERLING  CHAPIN 


THE  destruction  of  life  and  property  in  America  by  fire  is  appalling,  and 
is  not  equaled  in  any  other  country  on  the  globe.  In  the  year  1907,  an 
average  year,  property  to  the  value  of  $215,084,709  was  wiped  out,  and 
1,449  persons  lost  their  lives,  while  5,654  were  injured.  The  property  loss, 
added  to  the  cost  of  maintaining  expensive  fire  departments,  and  the  net  cost 
of  insurance,  totaled  over  $456,485,000  —  a  tax  upon  the  people  exceeding 
the  total  value  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  petroleum  production  in  the 
United  States  for  that  year.  Furthermore,  it  equals  the  real  value  of  any  one 
of  the  states  of  Florida,  Idaho,  Delaware,  Maine,  or  half  a  dozen  other  states. 
If  any  one  of  these  states  were  devasted  by  a  storm  which  would  wipe  out 
every  particle  of  real  property  the  whole  world  would  throw  up  its  hands  in 
horror  at  such  a  condition;  yet  every  year,  merely  because  it  is  distributed 
throughout  the  year,  we  take  no  thought  of  the  sum  total  of  these  terrible 
catastrophes  by  fire.  These  facts  are  quoted  from  the  United  States  Govern¬ 
ment  Reports. 

These  Government  Reports  further  show  that  wooden  construction  is 
responsible  for  the  greater  part  of  this  loss,  even  in  cities  where  wooden 
buildings  are  relatively  scarce;  also  that  it  is  responsible  for  the  great 
majority  of  fires  that  spread  beyond  the  buildings  in  which  they  originate. 

The  National  Fire  Protection  Association  says  of  frame  buildings:  “The 
conflagration  hazard  due  to  such  construction  is  the  most  serious  problem 
with  which  we  have  to  contend.” 

In  Europe  the  prevailing  type  of  construction  is  brick.  In  America  it  is 
wood.  In  Europe  the  annual  fire  loss  per  capita  is  33  cents.  In  America, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  our  fire  departments  are  in  all  respects  supe¬ 
rior,  the  loss  is  $2.51  per  capita  —  nearly  eight  times  as  much  as  Europe. 

Since  this  tremendous  loss  is  due  in  a  large  measure  to  wooden  construc¬ 
tion,  the  only  relief  for  the  American  people  lies  in  the  elimination  of  wood. 

The  popular  impression  that  wood  is  the  cheapest  building  material  is 
wrong.  In  these  days  the  first  cost  of  wooden  construction  is  only  slightly 
less  than  that  of  brick,  and  the  difference  is  soon  wasted  through  the  inherent 
weaknesses  of  wood,  of  which  there  are  many. 

The  house  of  wood  decays  —  the  house  of  brick  does  not. 

The  house  of  wood  needs  frequent  painting  —  the  house  of  brick  does  not. 

It  requires  a  larger  heating  plant  —  more  coal  —  to  heat  a  house  of  wood 
than  it  does  to  heat  a  house  of  brick. 

The  cost  of  insurance  is  higher  on  the  house  of  wood  than  on  the  house  of 
brick. 

A  house  of  wood  rents  for  less  than  a  house  of  brick. 


63 


At  the  end  of  ten  or  fifteen  years  a  house  of  wood  —  eliminating  the  value 
of  the  land  —  will  usually  sell  for  much  less  than  its  first  cost. 

At  the  end  of  even  fifty  or  one  hundred  years  the  house  of  brick  —  with 
reasonable  care  in  the  meantime  —  is  still  as  good  as  the  day  it  was  built. 

Not  long  ago  in  a  town  located  near  New  York  City  experts  were  asked  to 
appraise  two  houses  —  one  of  wood  and  one  of  brick.  The  house  of  wood  was 
appraised  at  a  considerable  loss  as  compared  with  its  first  cost  because  of 
natural  deterioration  and  the  certainty  of  the  ever-increasing  expense  for  re¬ 
pairs.  The  brick  house  was  appraised  at  more  than  its  original  cost  because 
it  was  practically  “as  good  as  new”  and  could  not  be  duplicated  for  the 
original  investment.  This  case  is  not  cited  because  it  is  unusual  —  it  is  the 
rule. 

A  house  built  of  brick  will  cost  from  eight  to  fifteen  per  cent  more  than 
one  built  of  wood,  depending  upon  its  location  and  the  kind  of  brick  used. 
This,  however,  is  only  the  first  cost.  At  the  end  of  a  few  years  the  house  of 
wood,  with  its  expensive  maintenance,  will  have  cost  more  than  the  house  of 
brick. 

However  much  the  costs  of  brick  and  wood  may  vary  in  different  locali¬ 
ties,  this  basic  principle  is  true  practically  everywhere:  THE  FIRST  COST 
AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  A  WOODEN  HOUSE  EXCEEDS,  SOONER 
OR  LATER,  THE  FIRST  COST  AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  A  BRICK 
HOUSE. 

To  return  to  the  question  of  fire  risk:  Even  the  non-fireproof  brick  house 
—  one  whose  outer  walls  only  are  built  of  brick  —  presents  great  advantages 
over  the  all -frame  construction. 

Most  fires  start  inside  the  walls  from  defective  flues  or  electric  wiring. 
Flames  in  the  exterior  walls  of  a  wooden  house  spread  rapidly  and  burst 
forth  in  many  places  at  once.  Fire  cannot  ignite  the  outer  walls  of  a  brick 
house.  Should  it  originate  in  the  floor  spaces  or  interior  partitions,  it  has 
little  or  no  draft  because  the  ends  of  the  floor  spaces  are  closed  by  brick,  and 
the  interior  partitions,  which  are  largely  of  plaster,  are  practically  closed  at 
the  top  and  bottom  by  the  flooring.  The  brick  walled  house  is  fire-resisting, 
insures  early  discovery,  and  burns  so  slowly  that  it  gives  time  for  rescue  and 
the  saving  of  property. 

A  house  with  brick  walls  located  between  two  wooden  houses  has  only  its 
own  internal  fire  risk,  whereas  a  house  with  wooden  exterior  walls,  similarly 
placed,  shares  the  fire  risk  of  all  three. 

There  is  no  building  material  which  combines  all  the  qualities  essential  to 
a  good  house  except  brick.  Brick  protects  against  fire,  does  not  deteriorate, 
needs  no  repairs,  lessens  the  expense  for  heating  and  insurance.  A  brick 
house  is  the  most  comfortable  in  which  to  live  —  both  in  summer  and  in 
winter.  Brick  offers  variety  for  architectural  treatment  —  gives  color  and 
texture  to  the  surfaces  and  grows  old  with  ever-increasing  charm.  Brick  is 
the  best  and  cheapest  material  for  beauty,  for  permanence,  for  durability. 
Brick  alone  embraces  all  these  fundamental  values. 

When  the  people  awaken  to  the  truth  of  these  vital  matters  they  will 
abandon  wooden  construction  and  the  American  house  will  be  the  HOUSE 
OF  BRICK. 


64 


